Jon and Liz Peterson and my friend Connie joined me at Samos last night. Unfortunate circumstances caused James and Jeannette Roscoe to miss out. We missed their company.

Connie had just arrived back from five months in Florida and hadn't even been to her home near Annapolis yet.

We shared some pita bread and tzatziki sauce which paired well with the 2009 LAGIER-MEREDITH ROSE' OF SYRAH, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley that Jon brought. It was a nice, refreshing, dry rose' that didn't show any heat although a surprising 14.8% alcohol according to the label. It is from a four-acre vineyard planted to Syrah with 2 Viognier plants as well.

I've maybe only had three or four Syrah rose' wines, but I have liked them.

As I was starting on my moussaka and others their Greek salads, we poured the 2007 TOLUCA LANE PINOT NOIR, Oregon, also brought by Jon. 13.3% alcohol. From a five-acre vineyard. Purple-red color, semi-transparent and leggy. I thought the nose and palate were plummy and showed dark berries. Connie found it very nice with the feta cheese from the Greek salad. It also stood up to the moussaka. I failed to ask Liz how it was with her grilled shrimp. Lots of class and good balance I felt. I will look for this although with the small production it might have to be ordered directly from the vineyard.

While Jon was enjoying a combo plate that contained some lamb and chicken protein as well as Spanakopita and other Greek specialties and Connie was enjoying lamb, we started pouring the 2002 or 2005 AALTO, Ribero del Duero, Spain, which I had brought. i wrote in my notes 2005 but I thought I was bringing two wines from 2002, the Spanish wine and the dessert wine so now I'm not certain which vintage I had of the Aalto. (I thought the Pinot Noir paired better with the moussaka than did the Aalto.) It had some light oak characterisitcs such as caramel or vanilla along with blackberries and spices. A big and attractive nose; quite perfumed. Leggy on the glass. I enjoyed this but it was a challenging food wine. Some background on the wine is found at this link:
http://www.wineanorak.com/aalto.htm although the information is now dated. The winemaker is Mariano Garcia, formerly of Vega Sicilia. The wines have received high ratings from leading wine critics and wine magazines but with a suggestion that they should be cellared for 10-12 years and may remain at peak long after that. I'm not sure the treatiment is the same each vintage but the original Aalto was aged in French barriques, 60% new oak, and non-filtered. It is in a modern style.

Some ordered baklava and we opened as a dessert wine a 2002 ERBACHER MARCOBRUNN RIESLING AUSLESE that I brought. 10% alcohol. Medium to deep gold color. Apple and honey flavors, pairing nicely with the Baklava. Jon found a resemblance to a Sauternes and it did have some commonalities. We didn't get around to opening the Maryland ice wine from Pinot Noir that Jon also had in his cooler.

I enjoyed catching up with Connie after her Florida stint (teaching news writing classes in Tampa, etc.) and with Liz and Jon. As Jon remarked, it was a nice way to start the weekend and made it seem like he had left work behind for some time even though it had only been a few hours. Liz has finished with her teaching for the semester so can enjoy the summer leisure.

I also filled them in on my time in the Richmond area the past two days and my cousin's granddaughter graduating from U of Virginia this weekend who is off to Uganda for several weeks this summer to work with women refugees who have been brutalized during the 23-year civil war in that country. I met the "graduate" Thursday and was quite impressed.